New Friends--A Transformers Fan fiction
by BBPRIMEFAN101
Summary: Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader, returns to base with an orphaned human asleep in his hands. And while Lily makes the unlikeliest of friends, she receives the care and comfort she's longed for. (UPDATED...again)


**New Friends—A Transformers Fan Fiction**

Chapter Two

Where was Optimus Prime?

He hadn't returned to the Autobot base yet ever since the battle between Team Prime and the Decepticons. The others were already there. He was the only one missing. What was keeping him?

"He is obviously still kicking," said Ratchet as he stared at a blinking dot on the computer screen. "His signal is still active, but why hasn't he returned yet?" Ratchet was the medic of Team Prime, but he occasionally joined in on the action—however most of the "joining in" is assisting an Autobot if he was injured in battle. He and Prime were old friends, having known each other a long while during their time on Cybertron. He'd be devastated if his leader was severely hurt, and he'd needlessly put the blame on himself. If ever the situation were to occur, he'd work his bumper off to get his chief back on his feet.

'Maybe he's caught up in another 'Con fight,' the yellow Camaro Autobot, Bumblebee, chirped as he approached the medic 'bot. Bumblebee was the scout of the team, but he was easily one of the smartest, skilled members aboard. He may be one of the smallest of the Autobots, but no one ever judges him by his size. Bee's voice processor was damaged during the war on Cybertron; it was severely damaged, nearly destroyed, by the Decepticon leader, Megatron. Now all he ever says around the base is 'bleeps' and 'boops', but his teammates seem to understand him well enough. Bee was also constantly concerned for his leader's safety. If anything were to ever harm Prime, he'd be right there to help.

"Nah, if there were Decepticons around, their signals would also appear on the monitor," said Ratchet.

"Maybe he, I don't know, went out for a walk. It's a beautiful night," said the large, green Autobot, Bulkhead. Bulk was known best for his body-size, and his ways with demolition. He may not be the best when it comes to stealth, but Bulkhead is useful when any damage is needed, or if something needs to be broken. Wrecking things was his specialty, since he came from an old team back on Cybertron during the great war called the Wreckers, but he resigned from that position to join Team Prime when the chance came. Though he's his own weapon of mass destruction with his wrecking-ball hand, he does have a sensitive side, such as commenting on how beautiful the current night was, despite the battle that had taken place only an hour ago.

"I've never seen Optimus go out on a walk, whether the night is beautiful or not," Ratchet said flatly, then he mumbled to himself as he continued to monitor Prime's signal, "What are you doing out there?" Then he heard his COM-link beep and he activated it. "Ratchet here."

"Ratchet?"

"Optimus?!" the physician-bot exclaimed; and at the mentioning of his name, Bumblebee and Bulkhead sped to his side to listen. "It's about time we heard from you, sir. What have you been doing?"

"I shall explain when I get there," said the Autobot leader. "I'll need you to open a ground bridge."

"On it," Ratchet said with a nod, and he hurried over to the controls. With a flip of a switch and a pull of the handle, a large multi-colored, swirling portal appeared in a tunnel in the base. Within a moment, they saw a flash of light, and there approaching them was the great Optimus Prime himself.

They all surrounded him once he entered the center of the base and the bridge powered down. "Now care to explain what took you?" Ratchet asked, somewhat impatiently. Optimus then pointed his optics down, and the Autobots did the same; they noticed one of his hands was laid out flat, and the other was cupped over it. "What is it? What do you have there?" Prime lifted his cupped servo, and the other Autobots' optics widened in surprise.

Laying curled up in his hand was a tiny child, fast sleep; she appeared scraped and battered, the ends of her clothes were tattered and burnt, her skin was filthy and bruised and bloodied, and she was stained in dark red. She appeared white as a ghost, and she laid there limply, not moving a muscle.

"Prime!" Ratchet exclaimed. "You brought an organic to our base?! Now I mean no offense, but…are you crazy?! She could get her…_earth germs_…on our equipment!"

Optimus sighed lightly at his old friend's rant and explained, "I found this child amongst the ruins of her home. Her late father's body was not far. He must have gotten involved in the fight, and a Decepticon no doubt terminated him. This child has no mother, and now no father."

"Y-Yes, but…" Ratchet stammered.

"Wow…poor kid," Bulkhead said pitifully as he gazed at the tiny girl. "No home and no parents…We all know how having no home feels…but no one to take care of her…Poor kid."

Bumblebee hummed sadly with a nod and bent down so his optics were as high as Optimus's hand. He carefully brushed a finger over her bruised body and rested his servo-tip in her tiny hand. He looked up to Optimus with sadness in his optics and bleeped, 'What will we do with her, sir?'

Optimus gazed at the child and stated firmly, yet gently, "She will remain here until we find a suitable human home for her, and until she is recuperated enough."

While Bulkhead grinned and Bumblebee whirred happily, Ratchet scoffed and stepped up. "Optimus…do you really think allowing a fleshling to roam around the base when she does recuperate is such a good idea?"

"You suggest I leave her out in the open?" the Autobot leader raised a mechanical brow. The physician-bot stammered, struggling to think of a response; thinking of none, he just sighed and lowered his gaze. "Ratchet, I think it is best you try and tend to her wounds as quickly as possible while she is resting."

Ratchet's optics widened. "M-Me? But, Optimus, I…I don't even know where to begin on treating a…_human_!"

"Then you had best get started, old friend," Prime said, and he slowly laid the little girl on Ratchet's examination table. Ratchet tried his best to hide his grimaced look as he observed the child's wounds.

"Just think of her as an Autobot…just a lot more fleshier and softer," Bulkhead suggested.

"Not. Helping." The medic grumbled. After a brief examination, he realized he didn't need to do much. She was just stained in ash, dirt and blood, and her cuts were very light, though she had many. He figured using his equipment wouldn't be safe for her, so he said he'd head to the city's ER and pick up some human remedies. He re-opened the ground bridge, transformed into an ambulance, and drove through it. Once he vanished, the portal closed.

Bumblebee bent down to the level of the examination bed and watched the tiny girl sleep curled up into a ball. He couldn't help but bleep a giggle and lightly stroked the child's body. "Bumblebee," Optimus said, "let her rest. Through her condition, it's clear she's been through a lot." Bee whirred understandingly, gently patted the little human and crept away.

About half an hour later, Ratchet returned with a few human remedies, such as anti-bacterial wash and bandages. Remembering what the nurses there instructed him, he soaked a few cotton balls in the anti-bacterial wash, dabbed and swiped over the girl's wounds, and once they were clean and disinfected, he wrapped them in bandages. Many of the cuts were very small and didn't need bandaging, the only major ones were gashes on her arms and legs from the debris that used to be her home. She didn't seem as odd-looking when all the ash and dust and blood stains were scrubbed away.

Once the girl was taken care of, Ratchet decided to turn in for the night, along with Bee and Bulkhead. However, Optimus stayed and kept watch over the girl, not taking his optics off of her for a second.

* * *

Lily awoke feeling the worst headache. Her stomach churned and everything felt as though it were moving. She wondered if she was still being rocked by the giant robot that had found her amongst her wrecked home, but she realized she was laying on something hard, stiff and cold. The metal table was icy to the touch, and shivers crawled up her back. She tried sitting up, but she was low on energy, and she fell back onto the metal table. Her arms felt heavy, but she lifted them anyway.

She noticed the cuts she had on her arms were wrapped in bandages, as well as her legs. Propping herself up on her elbow, she saw that she was clean, no longer covered in ash, dirt and…blood…Lily didn't even want to think about what happened the night before.

Slowly raising her head, she began to look around her. Lily remembered the giant robot telling her he was taking her somewhere safe. But where exactly did he take her? She saw that she was in a large chamber, and it looked like a doctor's office, and she heard the humming of a computer running from another room. And everything seemed big. Slowly and carefully, she got to her knees, and she shook as she slid off the metal bed and hopped to the floor, nearly landing flat on her bottom from the impact.

Struggling to her feet, she made her way out of the chamber; using the wall for support, she entered a much larger room. On one end there was the computer she heard, and the other was a sort of tunnel. Where in the heck was she? Being on her feet too long made her feel dizzy and she felt her stomach rise. Waiting a moment for it to settle down, she took one tiny step at a time until she separated herself from the wall, making her way to the middle of the room. She wearily looked down and saw a sort of symbol on the ground, like a mask. She turned her head in every direction and gawked at everything she saw. It was like she was in some alien laboratory, or some high-tech hide out. Then she noticed a large control panel. It had a few buttons and a switch. Despite her light-headedness, Lily was still curious of what it was used for. She climbed up a metal staircase and stood right under the switch; then she suddenly found herself reaching up for it.

A flash of light and a loud whirring sound made her jump and lose balance. She tumbled a little down the steps and landed on her hands and knees; squinting at where the light came from, she realized that the tunnel she passed earlier had a large, swirling vortex within it, and it made a loud humming noise. Shielding her eyes a little, she got to her feet; but she was knocked back down when something zoomed through the portal.

She screamed as loud as she could when a green Hummer sped through the portal and right towards her. At the last second, it veered out of the way…and it changed into a large green robot. They both shared the same look of shock as they gawked at one another. Then Lily jumped and backed away when a second vehicle, a yellow Camaro, drove through the portal and changed into a robot. Even though she panicked when she saw it, the yellow bot seemed to smile through its optics. Then, two more objects entered through the portal, only they weren't vehicles.

They were already robots.

Lily recognized one of them right away; she locked her eyes on the red and white robot with the siren and headlights, and she knew this one was Ratchet. She also recognized the largest of the bots beside him.

They all circled around her while she sat on the floor, panting heavily and looking frantically around her. However, seeing the largest robot brought a bit of comfort to her, but it didn't stop her from panicking.

The largest of the bots bent down close to her. She suddenly realized that moment, this robot had the same detail and design as the semi-truck her father scolded at the other day. She flinched a little when he spoke. "Hello, little one," he said; she recognized his voice instantly. "My name is Optimus Prime. You need not fear us. We won't harm you."

Lily tried to speak, but instead she tasted bile in her throat and cupped a hand over her mouth and eagerly looked around her. Surprisingly she spotted a bucket, sprawled to it, held it directly under her, and she retched. She heard the robots grimace and groan a little. When she finished she coughed and spit any remaining bile in her mouth into the bucket. She flushed heavily; these machines had just seen her vomit within 30 seconds of their meeting. Full of shame and embarrassment, she hung her head and cried.

"It is alright, young one," said the robot named Optimus Prime. "We understand you have been through a lot this past day, so it is likely you are still recovering." Lily sniffled and wiped her eyes, then she crawled away from the bucket, suddenly feeling less irritated and more stronger. She looked up and met eye to optic with the one called Optimus.

She cleared her throat and asked in a very hoarse voice, "…W-What…are you…?"

"We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron," Prime explained, "but you may call us—"

"Autobots?" Lily interrupted.

Optimus blinked and nodded. "Yes. You have heard of us?"

Lily lightly shrugged and croaked, "Mr. Leonard told me a few things."

Optimus didn't know who this 'Mr. Leonard' was, but he didn't want to waste time pondering over it; then he introduced the other Autobots. He gestured to the large green Autobot. "This is Bulkhead," he said, and the named bot gave his head a nod and smiled. Lily suddenly recognized him as the vehicle she saw circle the block near the park multiple times. "This is our scout, Bumblebee," Optimus said, and the yellow bot beeped happily and waved, and he smiled at her through his optics. Lily let out a light giggle and waved back. She knew this bot was the Camaro that sat in front of the park, then took off at the sight of the jets. Then she turned to the remaining Autobot, who seemed to avoid making eye/optic-contact with her. "And this is our medical officer—"

"Ratchet," Lily said. The mentioned Autobot blinked at her baffled, asking her how she already knew his name. She simply restated that Mr. Leonard explained a few things to her about them. "I saw you go around the corner while I was at the park yesterday." Then she faced the boss-bot, crawled to his hand and tapped on it. He turned it over so she could climb into it, and he rose it up to his face. She took a deep breath, stared deeply into his gleaming, blue optics and asked with a shaken voice, "What were those…things you were fighting? Last night?" She felt tears swelling up in her eyes, and she hoped the Autobot wouldn't notice them.

Optimus wore a serious look as he explained. "They are called Decepticons." Lily then remembered something her papa said…_Damn 'Cons are at it again_... "They also came from the planet Cybertron. We have been at war with them for numerous stellar-cycles. Megatron is their leader. You have already seen him." Lily remembered seeing the red-eyed metallic being outside of the guest room, and she shivered. "He plans to take over this planet and make it his own. But we Autobots have vowed to not let your planet share the same fate as ours."

"What happened?" Lily whimpered.

She could see sadness filling up in Prime's optics as he said, "It was lost in the war. The only ones who survived were those who fled, or sought out refuge among the stars. Bumblebee, Ratchet and I happened to pass this planet and took refuge here. We were unaware that Megatron and some of his forces had done so as well. And while our numbers dwindled, the ranks of Decepticons dramatically increased, and they've taken on the ability to transform into planes or jets. We still await any other Autobots still out there to come and join us in winning this war—"

"Did you say 'jets'?" Lily interrupted.

"Yes," Optimus nodded. "Why?"

Lily hung her head; images of what happened those 5 years ago flooded her mind. She remembered what the metallic being who slaughtered her mother looked like. "R-Red eyes...j-jet w-wings…" she whispered. "…They were both…killed by…D-Decepticons…both of them…"

"What?" asked Bulkhead.

The tears poured from her eyes and dripped off her chin and splattered onto Optimus's servo. "M-Mama…P-Papa…they…they were…_butchered_…by D-Decepticons…" Then she began sobbing and buried her face into her hands as her body trembled. "I…I watched as Mama was slashed across her face…her chest…her neck…I watched the life slip out of her…! Blood…everywhere…The 'C-Con w-who killed her…carelessly tossed h-her body aside…Now I'll never forget that day! I can't ever forget it! No matter how hard I try, it's always there in my m-mind! A-And now…Papa…I saw his heart…get ripped out…by a D-Decepticon…He…He tried to protect me…But…now he's…!" She couldn't bear to say anymore and continued to sob uncontrollably as she sat in the metallic palm of the Autobot leader.

The other Autobots just watched her cry, taking pity on the poor girl. Optimus himself sighed sadly for her. He gently stroked a servo along her back and wore a very faint smile. "You need not grieve, little one. Though your parents are no longer with you physically, they are with you in your mind and heart, so long as you remember them. They would not want you to suffer like this. They would want you to try and be happy, and move on. I'm sure it pains them to see you in this much agony."

Lily removed her hands and looked up into the Autobot's optics. She saw something she hadn't seen in them before: understanding. She sniffled heavily and wiper her eyes and nose on her pajama shirt sleeve. She quivered a smile, crawled closer to his face and did her best to hug around his neck. "T-Thank you…for making sure I-I was safe…" she said softly.

"You are very welcome, young one," Optimus obliged. "And now that you know our names, might we know yours?"

"Lily," she said wearily. "My name is Lily McElroy."

"Well, Lily McElroy, until you have recuperated enough and we have found you a suitable home and loving family, you will remain here with us."

Lily smiled and thanked him again. Then she suddenly had dozens of questions. "What was that thing you guys came through?"

"It's called a ground-bridge," said Ratchet. "It allows us access in and out of the base. It can be activated by that switch, and it opens in the coordinates it's given."

"Where did you guys come from through the ground-bridge?" Lily asked.

"From another 'Con fight," Bulkhead said proudly, taking a step forward. "They were trying to drain a mine of Energon crystals, but we stopped those Decepticreeps right in their tracks when we blew up the join and caused the mine to cave in!" Both he and Bee acted like they were flexing muscle and posed.

"Energon?"

"It's what supplies us with life," explained Ratchet. "Like blood supplies life for you organics."

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Our species does have a name: humans." Bulkhead and Bumblebee chuckled while Ratchet sputtered a bit and lowered his gaze. She turned to Optimus and asked, "He has a problem with humans, doesn't he?"

"Though we have been on this planet for some time," Optimus said, "we are still adjusting to the earth customs of your kind. You are the first human child we've allowed into our base."

"But I'm not the first human?" Lily tilted her head a little to the side. "Then, who-?"

"PRIME!"

She was interrupted when a man's voice rang out throughout the base. Bulkhead groaned as they all turned towards the computer. A door in the inner wall swung open, and a dark-skinned man in a suit and tie stormed in. He marched towards the railing and leaned against it; he appeared agitated. "Have you _seen_ the news?!" he scolded as Optimus approached him. "Reports of massive explosions and tremors are popping up everywhere! You do realize that mine was near civilians, right?! Do you have any idea what would happen if-?!" He ceased ranting when he eyed the little girl sitting in the palm of Optimus's hand. "Oh, great, now you're kidnapping children?!"

"He didn't kidnap me," Lily said as she stood up in the Autobot's hand. "He helped me. And I'm sure he and the other bots were aware that civilians were near the area, and made sure they didn't cause too much destruction that could threaten their lives. Besides, they took out the Decepticons. Isn't that good?!"

"I'm sorry, who are you?" the man asked.

"Lily. Lily McElroy. You?"

The man revealed a badge. "Agent Fowler. Shouldn't you be at school, miss Lily McElroy? And where are your parents?" Lily glared coldly at him and stuck out her lip, then she turned away.

"She is currently under our care, Agent Fowler," said Optimus. "Her parents are both gone; terminated by the hands of the Decepticons. She will stay with us until she is well rested and until we find her a new home. As for school…"

"I was home-schooled," Lily grumbled, keeping her head low.

Fowler sighed heavily and shook his head, then turned on his heels, heading for the door. "Just be careful next time, Prime! Humans could have been hurt today, and we're all lucky they weren't." Then, he slammed the door behind himself.

Lily turned back around and stuck her tongue out then sat herself back down on Prime's hand. "Is he always that grumpy?"

"I can't think of a time he wasn't," Bulkhead let out a laugh.

"Does he always scold you like that?"

'Occasionally,' Bumblebee beeped with a shrug.

A sudden groaning noise was heard, and the bots jumped a little. Then they followed the sound straight to Lily. The groaning came from her stomach. When it growled again, she blushed and hugged herself. "I'm sorry! You didn't need to hear that!"

"What was that?" Optimus asked.

"My tummy. I'm hungry," Lily moaned, still embarrassed that her stomach had growled loud enough for everyone to hear. "B-But you don't have to waste your time getting me food! You've done enough by allowing me to stay here for a while."

Bee stepped forward and smiled through his optics. 'It's no trouble at all,' he chirped. 'If it's food you need, we'll be happy to help you find some. You shouldn't go hungry.'

Lily smiled. "Thanks, Bee," she said.

"Wait, you can understand him?!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "Dang, I'm still trying to figure out what some bleeps and beeps mean!" Bee narrowed his optics at the green Autobot and buzzed, making Lily giggle.

"Bumblebee," Optimus said, "take Lily into the city and help find her some food. She will need to replenish her strength." Bee whirred and transformed into his yellow Camaro appearance.

Lily's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in amazement. "Robots in disguise," she whispered to herself. Optimus lowered her to the floor and she raced over to the Camaro. She hopped in, and Bee drove through an underground tunnel, heading for downtown.

Ratchet stepped forward once more. "Optimus, are you still sure keeping this girl here is still such a good idea? I mean, I really don't think a room full of large Autobots is safe for her. To emphasize my point, Bulkhead almost ran her over."

"Hey!" the green Autobot whined.

"And who knows what kind of trouble she could get into," Ratchet continued.

"As long as she remains here in the base while we are on missions," Optimus stated firmly, "she will be safe."

"And she has no home," Bulkhead pointed out. "No family! You saying we should put her back where she was found?"

"No, no, no!" Ratchet stammered. "I'm saying—well, what I mean is…w-what I'm trying to say is—D'ohh!" He groaned and rubbed the back of his head frustrated. Optimus cracked a faint smile, as if he knew what his old friend was trying to say, but was anxious about saying it.

"Lily will be safe with us until we find her a new family," Prime said. "If it's her safety with us around you're concerned about, then we must watch where we step." Bulkhead sensed a joke in this and laughed. Optimus then lowered his gaze and slightly frowned, remembering something he was told late the previous night.

* * *

Lily swung her legs happily as she and Bumblebee sat on a dock facing a lake while she sunk her teeth into a fresh, sweet apple. "Mmm! This is my favorite kind of apple!"

'What kind is it?' Bee bleeped.

"It's called a Honey-crisp apple," she explained. "Not only are they big in size"—she took another chunk out of the apple—"but also in flavor!" She finished her apple, sat the core beside her, patted her full belly and gazed out at the horizon, watching the sun slowly reach the top of the forest trees. "Sunsets sure are pretty." Bee whirred in agreement. "Papa and I would go to the park every Saturday after he'd finish work, and we'd stay there until the sun had vanished behind the hill…We did that together at home for the last time…" She sighed sadly and hung her head. Bumblebee lightly buzzed sadly and lifted her chin with his servo. Lily smiled and patted his hand.

Then, Bumblebee's COM-link beeped. "Bumblebee!" It was Ratchet's voice. "Come on and head back to base! Got another Energon finding, and we need to get there before the Decepticons do!" Bee beeped in response and transformed back into his Camaro disguise. Lily hopped in and the Autobot scout sped off towards the mountains. Bumblebee drove through the secret entrance to the base; once they got there she jumped out and Bee changed into his robot form.

"So what's happening now?" she asked.

"There's a large source of Energon frozen in the Arctic," said Bulkhead. "We need to get there and transport it here back to base before Megatron and the Decepticons do."

"Oh, I've always wanted to go to the Arctic! I hear it's real pretty this time of year!" Lily exclaimed as she twirled on her toes.

The Autobots exchanged glances then looked down to her again. "Lily, you will remain here," said Optimus. The tiny girl stopped twirling and whined. "This mission could put you in danger if you went along. And you aren't properly dressed for Arctic conditions."

"So…I'm gonna be here all by myself?"

"No way," said Bulkhead. "Ratchet's gonna stick here, too. He always stays behind to monitor any Decepticon activity." Ratchet grunted and glared at him, but Bulk just shrugged it off.

Lily sighed disappointedly to herself, but she knew the boss-bot was right. Ratchet activated the ground-bridge, and the Autobots readied to step through it. "Oh, Mr. Optimus Prime!" she cried, and he turned towards her. "…Be careful," she said shyly.

He gave his head a nod and a battle mask slid over his face. "Autobots," he called, "transform, and roll out!" They ran towards the bright swirling light, transformed into their vehicle modes, and drove through it; then the portal shut, and the base was silent.

It was an awkward silence; a bit too awkward for the 7-year-old to handle. She skipped up the metallic flight of steps and leaned against the rail near the computer and, staring at Ratchet. He constantly shifted his optics all over the monitor, over to Lily, back to the screen, then return to Lily, until the uneasiness was unbearable. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm watching you watch the computer screen," Lily said, beaming an innocent smile.

"Well, you're too close. Why don't you, I don't know…do what girls do somewhere else," Ratchet said without looking at her while he typed on the keyboard, swatting his hand, signaling her to beat it.

Lily's smile fell and she saddened her eyes. "You don't like me, do you?"

Ratchet stopped pressing buttons on the keyboard, closed his optics and sighed heavily. "It's not that I don't like you. I just need to concentrate on this. It's my job to keep an eye out for any Decepticon activity and to provide coordinates of the Energon for Optimus." Lily's expression didn't change at all. The medic sighed heavily again and hung his head. Then he lifted it and met eye-to-optic with the girl. "How about a tour of the base?"

He led Lily around, showing her their weapons vault, the medic office, the Energon storage unit, and a hall of secret chambers. "What's in that one?" Lily asked as she pointed to a vault with a large padlock on it, and the number 87 was painted above it.

"Chamber 87? Classified," Ratchet simply said. "Top secret. Nothing you need to know." Lily sighed and stared at the floor. Ratchet scoffed to himself and rubbed his servos over his optics. "Okay, tour is over…Why don't we get out of the base…and go to the park?" Lily then lifted her gaze and smiled.

So did Ratchet.

* * *

Optimus led the way towards the location of the Energon with Bumblebee and Bulkhead on both sides behind him, armed and ready for any Decepticon ambush. Prime held a scanner out in front of him, pointing it in every direction to scan the presence of Energon nearby. Wherever the arrow pointed, the Autobots headed in that direction.

Suddenly the beeping on the Energon scanner sped up, up until the point it was one long beep and a large glowing red dot. Prime looked down and saw a faint glow of blue below the ice. "It's here," he said. "Bulkhead."

"On it," said the Autobot. His servo was then replaced with a large spiked wrecking ball as he approached the spot and began searching for the weakest point in the ice. When he found it, he raised his weapon high in the air, then brought it down as powerful as he could. The ice cracked, and he continued in striking that same spot.

Optimus meanwhile stood by and searched around him, gazing at the ice ridge that surrounded them. 'What is it, sir?' Bumblebee whirred. 'Do you see something?'

"No," replied Prime. "But what troubles me is that the Decepticons haven't attacked yet. I sense they are near…but why do they not strike? Perhaps they want us to break the ice for them to save them the trouble, then plan out their attack."

"You are more clever than I anticipated, Prime."

Then, Bulkhead lunged forward violently as something struck him from behind. He landed a few meters away with a section of his back singed and smoking; he had been shot. The two standing Autobots turned around and immediately readied their weapons as they faced up against the red-optic, jagged-toothed Cybertronian; the main nemesis of the Autobots, and the major threat to Earth and its inhabitants.

Megatron.

* * *

The silence was once again awkward during the drive to the park. Lily sat in the front passenger seat, playing with her seat-belt strap, swinging her legs while her eyes stared at her feet. She had Ratchet stop by the remains of her home so she could have a quick change of clothes. Now she wore a thin, light-green sweater, a pink skirt, grey leggings, and boots; her pajamas were freshly washed and folded up neatly in the back.

She occasionally eyed the hologram of a human sitting in the front seat beside her; Ratchet explained to her he and the other Autobots use these illusions to fool Decepticons into thinking they were simple earth vehicles. But, he had said with a light laugh, after years of being on earth using the same disguises, the Decepticons were sure to recognize them from any distance. And the Autobot symbol imprinted on their surface made it obvious what they were.

Lily grew bored of the silence and sat up in her seat. "What was Cybertron like? Before the war," she asked.

"Well," Ratchet began, "it was a peaceful planet. There were no Autobots nor Decepticons, there were just autonomous robotic organisms, no specific names. There were no wars, no conflict. We could live in harmony amongst one another. It was the great Golden Age. I knew Optimus at the time…but back then he went by a different name: Orion Pax. And of course, Megatron was there as well. Little did anyone know that Megatron had a thirst for power and was willing to do anything to get it. He wanted to become the next Prime of Cybertron…but someone else was granted that privilege instead."

"Optimus," Lily said softly.

"Yes. Of course, Megatron was angry, and he wasted no time unleashing his army across the face of Cybertron. Then began the great war. Many lives were lost. Many loved ones…good friends…The only survivors were those who took refuge among the stars, just like Optimus had put it. However, Megatron and many of his forces followed Optimus to Earth, and that's where they've stayed. So have we."

"What makes Earth so important to the Decepticons?" Lily asked.

"Your planet is so rich with resources," Ratchet explained. "You have no idea; there are many things on Earth that contain even a light spark of Energon. During the war, our supplies of Energon were scattered across the galaxy, and some landed here on Earth. The Decepticons plan to suck the Earth dry of its source of Energon and use it to take over the planet, with Megatron as its ruler. And that is something we simply cannot allow."

Lily stared down at the floor, letting her legs hang over the seat. "Did he lose someone?"

"Come again?"

"Did he lose someone in the war?"

"Megatron?"

"Optimus."

Ratchet seemed hesitant. "It's not my place to explain Prime's past on Cybertron. I'm sure he wouldn't be pleased."

"So he did lose someone," Lily said. "Who?"

"Like I said, not my place to say. If you want to know, you can ask him yourself, but I highly doubt he'll tell you."

Lily's eyes widened a little, then she slumped back in her seat. "Wow…Must have been someone he was close to..."

* * *

The Autobots fired their weapons at the Decepticons while the enemy charged forward. While Bumblebee and the wounded Bulkhead guarded the Energon as they fought a dozen 'Cons back to back, Megatron obviously targeted and chose to tango with Prime.

"I really must thank you this one time, Prime," the evil 'Con sneered. "You've just done all the hard work for us, leading us to the Energon site and opening it up for us. Now all we have to do is take it, and destroy you."

"I won't let you escape with that Energon, Megatron," Optimus said through his battle mask; his laser cannon then swapped with a large sword with a heated tip and he swung. Megatron drew out his own and their weapons clashed against one another, sparks flying around from their heated tips; they skidded around on the ice plate while they sparred.

"Oh," said Megatron as he and Prime locked swords, "by the way…how's that little organic doing?" He sneered with a chuckle when he saw Optimus's optics widen a little. "I remember her. I also saw you carry her in your hand as you headed back to your secret hideout. Oh, I must admit, how I enjoyed seeing the scarred, horrified look on her face when my man's grapple hook plunged into his chest, after I reactivated him, oh I will never forget it. My only regret is: I didn't have the privilege of doing it myself!"

Optimus narrowed his flaring blue optics, and with an angry grunt he forced Megatron off of him, and charged once more towards him.

* * *

Lily stood with her feet halfway buried under the sand as she eyed the swing set. She felt a little nervous about going on them; she never got to know what happened when she sat on "Daryl's swing", and she didn't know if she wanted to. However, Ratchet was parked across the street on the other side of the park, but he was in sight; and she figured if she needed anything, he'd come to her aid.

She had made her decision. Lily put one foot in front of the other, picking up sand with each step, and she pushed herself onto the first swing. She started kicking her legs and began to swing, but something grabbed her ankles and squeezed.

More like someone.

"You really are dumb, McEl-weirdo," snorted a voice, and Lily knew instantly it was Daryl Patterson. "I thought I told you, this is _MY_ swing!" He then yanked on her ankles violently; Lily's grip on the handles suddenly loosened and she slipped from the swing onto the dirt. Just before she could get to her knees, Daryl pressed his sneaker on her back, keeping her on the ground. "This is payback for your little gag yesterday, McElroy!" He then stomped on Lily's back, making the girl yelp in pain. The ambulance's headlights flickered a little.

"I-It's not _YOUR_ swing, Daryl," Lily moaned. "It…doesn't have your name on it."

"Shut up!" Then Daryl stomped on her again, then hopped onto the seat and began to swing. Each time he came towards Lily, he rammed the tip of his sneaker into her side, knocking her down. Each time she got up to try and crawl away, he kicked her harder and harder, and he laughed at the painful squeaks and cries she let out. "Aww, what's the matter, baby brat? You gonna cry? You want your mommy and daddy? You want someone to come and help you? Well, I ain't lettin' no one help you! How would you like to know what dirt tastes like?!" He swung himself higher and higher, up until he was at the highest point.

However, he never went down. He felt something grab one of his ankles; he tried to kick free, but the grip was too strong. "You might want to rethink not letting someone help her, son," said a voice. Daryl shivered and turned his head to see the physician-bot right behind him. The bully cried out in a panic and slipped off the swing. But with the Autobot holding him by his ankle, he was then suspended upside down. All the other kids gathered around to see what was happening and began laughing and pointing.

"Put me down! Put me downnnn!" Daryl whined as he thrashed around.

"You will not hurt this poor girl anymore, young man," Ratchet said, putting the boy only inches from his face. "You do not know what pain and anguish she has been through lately. And the last thing she needs is a beat down from a bully. If I see you lay a finger on a single hair on her head, I will hang you on the highest branch of the tallest tree by your trousers. Is that understood?" The boy frantically nodded; Ratchet sat him down, and Daryl took off sobbing to his mother while the other kids continued laughing and pointing. Then Ratchet bent down beside Lily and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

Lily sniffled and wiped her eyes with her knuckles. "I am now," she said with a smile. "Thank you."

Ratchet wore a sliver of a smile, then suddenly his COM-link turned on. "Ratchet." It was Optimus Prime's voice. "Requesting a ground-bridge."

"Understood, sir," Ratchet replied. Once the line went dead he transformed into his ambulance mode; Lily climbed in and they sped back to the base. Once they arrived, Ratchet raced to the control panel and slipped the switch, activating the ground-bridge. In a mere moment, the three Autobots came walking through. Then they saw Bulkhead. "Oh, no," he muttered as Lily let out a gasp. "Quickly, bring him over here," Ratchet instructed, and he helped Bumblebee lay him face down on the examination table.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Lily asked worriedly. Ratchet kept muttered to himself while he examined Bulkhead's wound and didn't answer, so Lily ran to Optimus. "What happened?"

"He was shot from behind," the Prime explained. "We were ambushed by a league of Decepticons. They waited for us to open the ice to get the Energon supply, then they attacked."

"A-And now...the Energon deposit is free for anyone...and we didn't get any," Bulkhead winced. "...The Cons probably took it all back to their ship by now..."

"Easy, soldier," Optimus said, resting a gentle hand on the former Wrecker's shoulder plate.

Bee gripped the sides of his head and buzzed in a panic. 'Oh, it's my fault Bulk's hurt! I should have been guarding him!'

A low groan came from the green Autobot as he lifted his head. "Don't…blame yourself, Bee," he winced. "It wasn't your fault…By the All-Spark, I understood what you were bleeping—OWW! Scrap, Ratchet, what are you trying to do to me?!"

"I'm trying to see how deep the damage is before I patch you up," said the physician-bot, "which would go a lot quicker if you'd keep still! I also need to check if any damage has come to your spark. You're leaking a bit of Energon."

"Spark? Energon?" Lily crinkled her brows. "What's that?"

"A spark is what circulates the Energon in our bodies for us to live and function," Ratchet said. "You know, like what you humans have in your chest that pumps blood inside of your bodies. And Energon is the lifeblood of all Cybertronians alike."

Lily then understood. "Ohh," she said, "so the spark is kind of like a heart, but for Autobots."

"And 'Cons," grumbled Bulkhead.

"Hold still!" Ratchet snapped. "You keep squirming!"

Lily sighed, then she noticed the classified chamber out of the corner of her eye. She tapped on his armor to get his attention, and he bent down to her height. "What's in there?" she asked him innocently and pointed to Chamber 87.

She noticed Optimus wore a straight, stiff face. Almost expressionless on the outside, but as though he were hiding something inside. Then he focused his optics back on her and said, "Secrecy. It's never to be opened without my command."

Lily whined a little. "Ratchet said the same thing," she huffed as she folded her arms over her chest and pouted. "Not even a tiny peek?" She fell silent as Optimus's optics stared straight through her, making her shudder. "Never mind."

"How much longer, Ratchet?!" Bulkhead whined.

"If you'd stop moving, we could have been finished 5 minutes ago!" the medic spat back. Bumblebee buzzed in annoyance and pressed his servo against his forehead; he had gotten tired of the arguing, and he still blamed himself for Bulk's injury, and he headed off to his own chamber.

"Wait!" exclaimed a tiny voice. Bee glanced at his feet and saw Lily racing to his side. "Don't blame yourself, Bee," she said gently. "It was an accident. It could happen to anyone of you."

'It wouldn't have happened to Bulk if I had his back at the time,' the scout whirred sadly and hung his head.

Lily wore a sad smile and patted his armor. Then she had an idea on how to cheer him up. "Do you like jokes?" Bee lifted his head a little to meet her eyes and nodded. "Maybe if I told you some, you won't feel so bad. Okay, let me think of a good one…Oh! Why did the cowboy have a wiener dog for a pet?"

Bumblebee bleeped in confusion and shrugged.

Lily giggled and answered, "Because somebody told him to get "a long" little doggie!" Then she fell over guffawing, but Bumblebee just stared blankly at her, not quite understanding the joke. But he heard Bulkhead laughing, so he must have.

'Bulk, what's she talking about?' he chirped.

" 'Get along, little doggie' is a phrase cowboys say," Bulkhead said with a snicker, "and a wiener is a long, little doggie!" Ratchet then looked at him funny. "I've seen Western flicks! Geez!"

It was then Bee understood the joke, and he began to make high-pitched, trilling sounds and held his side. He then bleeped to Lily to tell another one.

"Okay," she began. "Oh, here's one! What do you get when you put a monkey in a mine field?...You get a BABOOM!" Then the girl fell onto her back giggling, but Bee didn't understand this one either and he looked to one of the other Autobots for help.

"The word 'baboom' is meant to sound like 'baboon', a kind of monkey," explained Bulkhead, "and 'baboom' is also a sound that is made when a mine goes off." Ratchet looked at him funny again. "I've seen documentaries! Give me a break, dude!"

Bumblebee then got the joke and made more of the trilling, high-pitched uneven sounds as his shoulders bobbed up and down and he hugged his side. Then he urged Lily to tell another.

"Okay, okay, let's see," she said as she tapped her chin. "I'll do a classic one. You know how to count, right? Like, 1 to 10?" Bee nodded. "Okay, good! So, why was the number 6 afraid of the number 7?" Bee shrugged. "Because 7 'ate' 9!" The scout knew this joke, and he made giggling sounds along with the girl.

"Hey, could you two keep it down over there?! I'm trying to concentrate over here!" Ratchet exclaimed. Lily and Bee exchanged glances, then they continued laughing. Ratchet sighed frustrated and set down his tools. "Okay, Bulk. You're good enough."

Bulkhead sat up and hopped off the examination bed. "Are you alright, my friend?" Optimus asked him.

"I'll make it," the green Autobot shrugged. Then he giggled a little and added, "But I feel a whole lot better after a good laugh." He turned towards Lily and Bumblebee, who were still giggling over the jokes.

Optimus eyed them as well, watching his scout and the tiny human girl smiling while they laughed. He felt a very faint smile appear on his face, and his spark fluttered in his chest.

* * *

Prime and Ratchet were the only ones up late that night. The Autobot leader and the medic remained in the center of the base while everyone else had gone to get some sleep. Ratchet easily saw the faint look of distraught on his leader's face. "Something troubling you, Optimus?" he asked.

Prime sighed and closed his optics. "It's…It's what Alpha Trion told me when he came to me late last night. I do not know whether to believe the prophecy he explained to me was real or…one of those thing humans call 'dreams'."

Ratchet scoffed. "Well, it does seem pretty barbaric and unbelievable, in my opinion." Then he saw the hidden sadness in Optimus's optics and quickly added, "Oh, but I mean no offense! I'm sure it would be wonderful to have her back. But…do you honestly believe that—?"

He was silenced when Optimus held his hand out. "Yes, Lily?" Prime said, then turned his head towards the entrance of the left corridor to find the tiny human child in her pajamas standing there. "You should be resting, young one."

Lily sighed and hung her head. "I…I can't."

"What do you mean? Is something troubling you?" Optimus asked. Lily raised her gaze and he met with her wet eyes. "Is it what you humans call 'nightmares'?" Lily lowered her gaze a little and barely nodded as she hugged herself loosely.

Ratchet turned to Optimus, and the leader gave him a nod. Ratchet returned the nod and said he's turn himself in for the night, leaving Optimus and the little girl alone. Then, the Autobot commander headed over to the controls, and he activated the ground-bridge. He then bent down and laid his hand out flat in front of her. "Come with me."

Lily wondered what he had planned, but she didn't seem to care and crawled onto his servo. Then, the two headed into the portal. Lily saw a flash of light, and she realized they had gone from the base to the top of one of the plateaus near the mountains. She felt a little fuzzy from the trip, and they were very high.

Optimus Prime sat himself down on the surface of the plateau and lowered his hand to the ground, allowing Lily to slide off. She placed herself beside him, and the two stared out at the open desert under the clear sky. Then she looked up to him and asked, "Why are we here?"

Prime's blue optics shone through the night as he glanced down at her. "I figured you would want to talk about it."

"About what?"

"Your nightmare."

"Oh…" Lily hugged her knees loosely and lowered her head as she stared out to the desert. "…I've had it ever since Mama died…It's when she was killed. I'd…hear screaming, and I go to check it out. I look into my parents' room and I see a large Decepticon holding my mama up in the air by her neck. I'll never forget the red eyes he had…He demanded her about some information about 'them'…I'm assuming now he was talking about you. Mama said she didn't know anything. The Decepticon didn't believe her…He said his orders were to…" she stopped as her throat began to tighten, swallowed hard then continued, "to gain any information about the Autobots from those who've encountered them…and terminate them. Mama must've been one of them…He then said…since she wasn't going to cooperate…he then…terminated her." She quickly turned her head and wiped her eyes, praying Optimus hadn't seen her tears. "I have this dream every night. That's why I'm usually afraid to go to sleep…And now…now that I've seen my papa go through the same thing…I don't know if I'll ever sleep again."

"Because you don't want to be haunted by both of their deaths in your dreams," Prime said.

Lily then sobbed a little and nodded. "Exactly." She shifter herself so that she was sitting on her legs, resting her hands on her knees. "…You know what I often think about now?" she said almost in a whisper.

"What?" Optimus asked.

Lily curled her fingers inward and sniffled. "I think…I try to think of what my parents would both be like…if none of this ever happened. I-I imagine myself coming home from school, and Papa would be there waiting for me. He-He'd scoop me up in his arms and I'd tell him how my day was at school while we'd go into our house. Mama would be in the kitchen preparing dinner, and she'd have a snack ready for me. A-And at night, M-Mama would read me m-my favorite story…th-then she'd kiss me and wish me good night…a-and when I'd have a bad dream, either M-Mama or Papa would rush in, calm me down, hug me and tell me it was okay, that it was a nightmare…a-and that it wouldn't hurt me…Then they'd hum my favorite lullaby and lay with me in bed until I was fast asleep…Mama and Papa would say, 'Lily, we love you so much, you're our baby girl, a-and always will be'…" She stiffened her back as she tried to force back her sobs. Fresh tears seeped through her pinched eyelids and dripped off her chin onto her legs.

"B-But now," she whimpered, "because of those stupid D-Decepticons…They won't do any of those things…I'll never feel their hugs ever again…I won't ever feel their comfort again…" She suddenly sat up straight and rubbed her eyes as she wailed, "I'll never hear them say how much they love me again!" Then she hunched over covering her face with her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably. "It's not fair! Why out of everyone here did I have to lose my mama and papa?! It isn't fair! I…I want my mama! I want my papa! I want to hear them say my name, I want them to cuddle me…But I'll never hear their voices again! They'll never cuddle me again!...Because they're gone! They're gone and are never coming back!" After a long deep breath she wailed once more and hid her face from the Autobot accompanying her. She knew it wasn't best to grieve, but the pain was unbearable and she couldn't contain it any longer. Just because it was wise to move on and leave the past behind, it didn't mean to forget it.

Optimus pitifully watched the girl cry, listening to her sobs and hiccups, easily hearing her anguish. He slowly reached down, scooped her up in his hand, and held her close to his chest. She pressed herself against his armor as she continued to cry, and Optimus stroked her back gently with his servo, calmly shushing her. "There, there, young one. It is alright," he spoke softly. "I understand. You feel this heavy pain and loneliness, and you long for someone to be by your side to guide you through it, but no one comes, because they don't truly understand. But know this, Lily: no matter what may happen, someone is always there, willing to help, if you are willing to allow them."

Lily sniffled and softly sobbed as she rubbed her eyes, snuggling the Autobot's chest. She heard Optimus take in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he continued, "I am sure your family loved you very much…Up until the last breath they took. I am certain they loved you with all their hearts…more than you could ever realize…"

Lily heard a light shudder in his voice as he spoke and looked up. She noticed he had turned his head away, and she saw something glistening on his face, and it slowly made its way down; and while she hugged him she felt his body slightly tremble. Lily couldn't help but quiver a smile. _Guess you do have a tender side, Mr. Optimus Prime,_ she thought. She wiped her tears away and smiled, kissing his armor. She couldn't help but wonder as well what made him feel this way, but it also made her feel bad to see him like this. Then, she had an idea. Slowly and silently, she climbed up his chest to the top of his head, then slowly bent over in front of her face, hanging herself upside down. When they met eyes she beamed a smile. "You look funny from this view," she giggled. Lily felt a spark in her heart when she heard a light chuckle come from within the Autobot.

Then, she suddenly slipped and yelped, and she began to fall. Luckily, Optimus's hand was still under her, and he raised it high enough to catch her. She wearily laughed as she laid in his hand. "I meant to do that," she said with a yawn.

Prime sighed with a faint grin. "We best get back to base. You need to rest, little one." He then pressed against his helmet and activated his COM-link. "Ratchet, we request a bridge." Within a moment a bridge opened right behind them.

"Oh, and Mr. Optimus Prime?" Lily moaned as she slowly succumbed to the need for sleep. "I promise not to tell."

The Autobot leader looked down at her, raising a brow. "Tell what?"

Lily only smiled as she curled herself up in his hand, and he smiled at her while she slept soundly. Then he stepped in the portal, and it closed behind him, leaving the desert night silent and peaceful.


End file.
